


The Captain's Daughter

by SuperFreakeh



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Bottom Eren Yeager, Crossdressing, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Fluff, M/M, Minor Jean Kirstein/Eren Yeager, Pirate Levi Ackerman, Pirates, a thinly veiled excuse for tentacle porn, ereri, ignore the tentacle thing okay, riren - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-23 12:06:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30055197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperFreakeh/pseuds/SuperFreakeh
Summary: Eren's only hope in a world of pirates, thieves, and bureaucracy is to get married to his arranged beau on the other side of the world.  And his only way there is to board The Titan, a sloop that his adopted father Irwin and second mate Levi call home.But when otherworldly powers strike at sea, Eren and Levi will have to band together to save the crew and themselves, and perhaps solve the ancient puzzles left behind on a mysterious treasure map.It's violence, smut, adventure, and a shameless amount of corsets in the newest SuperFreakeh endeavor.*seeking beta readers + artists*
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Eren Yeager
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. (Sh)it begins

**Author's Note:**

> How many years has it been? 5?
> 
> Well I'm old as hell now. Life is so different from what it was when I was still catching up on Homestuck and worrying about exams. Tests are over, homework is over, and it has been for a while now. I'm definitely older than my readers were, and I hope we can all catch up to each other now in 2021.
> 
> This is my revival, I guess. I'm writing and drawing again and I'm excited to GO BACK AND FINISH (I promise! even though I will inevitably perish due to cringe!) what I began and to obviously kick things off with something fun and full of adventure. It's actually full of a lot of stuff, so please stick around if any of the following is what you've been craving these last 5 long years: pirate AUs, Eren crossdressing as a sexy lady pirate, too many corsets and bodices, tentacles in places they shouldn't be, Riren/Ereri fluff, puzzle solving and treasure hunting, ghost pirates?, characters from the original 3 seasons of the anime.
> 
> I hope you will stick with me; I'm looking forward to continuing this and the other projects I had in mind. I actually have 64 pages of Kingdom Hearts fanfic somewhere that I never published and maybe 2014 me wasn't as cringey and I thought? 
> 
> ...pray for me dear reader because the cringe will kill me. 
> 
> *seeking beta readers + artists, possible compensation since I have money to do that now*

The roar of the fire was only outmatched by the sea.

Screams and smoke battled for dominance in the air, and only the shrill cries of a young child cut through the cacophony. The child left the warm arms of its mother and was thrust into the calloused hands of a stranger.

Working with surprising deftness, the stranger’s hands wove and tied the infant’s blanket into the fabric of his shirt, carefully but quickly securing its safety as the stranger’s coat covered his shirt and sealed the baby in a sort of cotton cocoon. But that feeling of comfort dissipated almost as soon as it came, for a great swell of heat overcame the newly bonded pair and the safety of the cocoon was replaced by terror as the man’s chest caught fire. 

“Go!” a feminine voice cried and the man was jostled away from the flames just as the log holding up the door frame came crashing down between them. Frantically, he patted the flames down with bare hands and avoided major singe to his coat. Forlorn eyes looked towards the woman on the other side of the wall of fire and the man instinctively held the infant closer to his chest. The woman screamed and repeated, “Go! I’ll find you!” before crying out a long wail that reverberated in her child’s ears. 

Backing away from the wreckage, the stranger took one last look at what had once been a charming log cabin inhabited by a charming young family. Then he bolted. Holding the child close to his beating heart, he ran as fast as he could without injuring the baby further, trying desperately to forget the haunted final lamentation of its mother. 

He made a beeline for the shore, ignoring the terrified cries of half-charred peasants and avoiding the cannonfire that burst around them, marring the land with pockmarks of blood and bone. A small dinghy was rocking tumultuously in the water, set free from a dock that now was nothing more than splinters and toothpicks. The man clutched his most precious parcel and concentrated on the boat’s small deck, somehow intact. He willed himself to drown out the roar of the fire, the cannons, that haunting final cry, and blocked them all out, hearing only the small sobs of the child he was protecting and the crash of the waves. With a final glance out of the corner of his eye towards the village, he got a running start and leaped towards the dinghy. 

He crashed on the deck and lost his balance, but remembering the baby on his chest, put his weight on the back of his heels and took the fall on his back, the child safely resting on top. It had settled a bit now, and the stranger lifted his coat to reveal tired emerald eyes glittering back at his own. The man smiled in spite of the recent tragedy and untangled the baby from his shirt. Using whatever fabric he had, he made a makeshift nest and settled the child in for what was going to be a long journey. 

They had no more homeland, no more family or farm or friends. He felt older than he was and he, too, was tired. All they had was each other now. 

He started rowing.


	2. A Change of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Wild Dialogue Appeared!  
> What will you do?  
> >Kudos  
> >Bookmark  
> >Follow  
> >Cry

_17 years later_

Levi was _pissed_. 

The stopover had gone at least two hours over what it was supposed to take, and by now the rest of his crew had drunk two extra hours’ worth of ale. Surrounded by unruly, boisterous idiots, he left his barstool to find the latrine. Upon hearing the telltale sound of retching, however, Levi decided he’d had enough and exited promptly; whatever was happening in there was now the captain’s problem.

_Fuck that, it’s his fault we’re here in the first place._

Three weeks ago they had all been merrily pirating the Silver Shore. Levi himself fondly recalled ripping out a man’s golden tooth before cutting his throat during that particular trip. _Hm, still need to get that melted down,_ he reminded himself. Golden booty aside, the crew had actually been on a roll recently, hardly running into adversaries and making quick work of them when they did. They even found what looked to be a treasure map, cliché as that may sound, although it was absolutely riddled with puzzles and neither the captain nor he as second mate could make sense of it. 

Levi also, as second mate, _highly_ discouraged Captain Irwin from prematurely ending their pillage of the Silver Shore just so they could make a pitstop two thousand miles away. _What the fuck could be so urgent?_ he thought with a scowl. Yet even his fiercest glares and a literal knife to the jugular could not sway the captain. 

Deciding that Irwin could round up the crew himself, Levi made his way to the harbor and had barely hit the main deck of _The Titan_ when a firm square chest nearly knocked the wind out of him. 

“Gah, shit…” he mumbled while a chiseled jawline looked down on him in surprise. 

“Levi? What are you doing here?” Irwin asked with a surprising hint of nervousness. 

“I could..oof...ask you the same question,” Levi retorted, finally catching his breath. “I thought you were still in town, doing whatever the hell you dragged us out here for.” Irwin looked a bit guilty. 

“About that,” he started cautiously. “We just needed some time to get settled here.” He gestured to the sloop’s remarkably pristine deck, courtesy of Levi’s strict cleaning routine that he imposed on the entire crew. 

“ _We?_ ” Levi questioned in a blatantly accusatory tone. “Who the hell else is here? I thought you just had to pick something up.”

“Well...I did. In a way.”

“In a way.”

“A very human way.” Irwin looked more anxious than Levi had ever seen him. 

“Please, do explain.” Levi tapped his foot impatiently. Irwin sighed.

“It’s...my daughter. She’s getting married.”

Levi only let out a “huh” but inwardly was reeling from the information. _Daughter? Getting married?_ The questions were nearly endless. _How old is Irwin anyway?_

“Yes,” Irwin continued. “She’s turning 18 soon and there’s a suitor in Maria that has asked me for her hand.” 

“Some guy asked _you?_ For _her_ hand?”

“Yes Levi, that’s how it works. So we’re bringing Eren to Maria so she can get married.”

“We’re bringing—Erin, was it?—to Maria.”

Irwin was quiet. “Yep.”

“Which is on the other side of the fucking planet.”

“Um, yes.”

“To get married to a stranger.”

“Uh, yes that is correct.”

Levi could have smacked the captain. He could have _fucking gutted_ him right then and there if Irwin hadn’t saved his life all those years ago. Then again, maybe that debt was already paid...a little knife to the stomach was probably okay, right?

After a moment of silence, Levi spoke up, his voice dark and calculating. 

“Irwin, I’m only saying this because one, I like to think we’re friends; and two, because I like to think we’re _fucking pirates_ , not babysitters.” Irwin waited patiently for his conclusion. “What. The hell. Were you thinking?”

The captain sighed and—was that a blush rising on his cheeks?—responded calmly, “She’s all I have, Levi. She’s…” He trailed off, a tinge of sadness touching his face. “She’s special, and she’s been through so much. I just want her to have a happy life where she doesn’t have to worry about anything. She deserves that at least.”

Levi thought about it. He crossed his arms and the gears in his head started turning ever faster, desperately seeking a benefit from the new circumstances that had unfolded. A girl on board a ship full of nasty pirates sounded gross; a girl exploring the sea with a fine gentleman such as himself sounded tolerable. Making the captain owe him a huge future favor sounded _most_ propitious, however. He made up his mind.

“Fine.”

“Fine?”

“Yeah, fine. Okay. We’ll take her to Maria, drop her off so she can live happily ever after, then resume making fucktons of money. And maybe get around to figuring out that treasure map.”

A wave of relief washed over Irwin, and Levi could see his entire body releasing pent-up tension. The larger man smiled warmly at him and stuck his hand out resolutely for a shake. Levi rolled his eyes but obliged, then reminded the captain that there were about sixty drunk crewmen that needed to be rounded up. They started today with sixty seven, but a few more or a few less was just as well; Levi would rather some stayed behind instead of soiling his deck and he grimaced at the thought of returning to that nasty bar. 

Irwin clapped him on the back, a silent thank-you, and put on his stern captain’s face before descending the ship and making his way towards the lights and drunken yells. Levi started after him when he was stopped by a single, intrusive thought.

_I wonder what she looks like._

_What? No, you don’t care! Find a whore if you care so much._

_But what would Irwin’s daughter even look like?_ Mental images of a Captain Irwin in a dress caused Levi to very quickly shake that thought. _She’ll be around on the ship, we’ll find out sooner rather than later,_ and he shrugged the thoughts off, following his captain’s lead and dreading tomorrow’s hangover.

~o~

_His daughter? They’re talking about...me?_ Eren watched the men bicker through a small hole below deck. Since he was little and Irwin started taking care of him, the man would jokingly call Eren his “little girl” and would give in to the boy’s spoiled whims for dresses and fancy trinkets from adventures at sea. Even the periwinkle petticoat he was wearing today was made from rare Indian cotton Irwin had managed to procure. How the man obtained such treasures had been a mystery to Eren before today, where just a few minutes ago he had basically been told that he’d been receiving the “child friendly” versions of Irwin’s tales and that really, Eren was going to be surrounded by criminals until they got to Maria, however long that journey took. The thought left a sour taste in his mouth and he returned his attention to the conversation on deck.

From what he could make out, Irwin was speaking to his second mate and it looked like Eren would not exactly be welcome. He physically shivered when the shorter man’s voice crept to a low, calculating tone regarding Eren himself, and even from below deck the resentment of such an inconvenience was clear. As the men lingered then finally left, he felt his heart sink. Sure, Irwin would be taking care of him just as he had all these years, but he knew he’d be unwelcome, even a burden, and that dozens of men were putting their lives on hold for the sake of his transportation. His mind started filling with all the questions he had mentally held off until now. How long would it take to get to Maria? What will the crew think of him? Who was to be his future husband? He knew that marriage was truly the only way forward, given his unusual background, but for the first time, Eren truly felt out of his depth. There were too many unknowns. 

He retreated to the captain’s quarters where Irwin had given him his own bed and a screen for some privacy. He stripped off his waistcoat and many skirts until he was left, shivering a bit from the cold and dampness, in a pair of simple linen trousers. Sliding under his bed covers, he curled into himself and tried to keep the tears at bay. 

_How much longer until I find home?_


	3. Definitely Nothing To Worry About

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's Definitely Nothing To Worry About in this chapter. I don't know what else to say. 
> 
> Oh, but Eren's coming up next.

“She has to come out  _ sometime _ !” 

“Whadaya think she’s doin’, holed up in there?”

“She’s been in ‘ere for a week!”

Levi had just about enough of the gossip that had been plaguing the crew for six days since the captain’s daughter arrived. It seems that what started as a nuisance quickly transformed, in the minds of sixty-something lonely men, into rumors of a delicately beautiful princess being somehow held captive in the captain’s quarters. The only man allowed in anymore was the captain himself, and he was incredibly tight-lipped about details regarding Princess Erin as she had come to be known. 

The chatter was incessant but fortunately put to an end when Levi rang the bell and the men changed shifts. Then a different group would come to maintain the ship and Levi could hear the same gossip all over again. 

Levi groaned, harboring both intense annoyance and mild curiosity when it came to Erin. True, she was the reason everyone’s pay would be lower this season, but he had to admit that the rumors of a fair-skinned, gentle maiden on board sounded pretty sweet. The only problem with  _ that _ was that the second mate was essentially banned from the captain’s quarters while Erin was with the crew. Irwin claimed she needed her space and was still adjusting to life on a sloop, but Levi thought that was a crock of shit. If Princess Erin needed help adjusting to the pirate life, she should have just grown the balls to ask. Levi would have been perfectly gentlemanly and simply obliged without question. 

Actually, he had many questions, and had never “simply obliged” to anything in his entire life. Still, he wished the girl would come out of hiding if only to appease the rumor mill. Even a single warning from Irwin would probably be enough to reduce the gossip to mere whispers.

As if reading his mind, Levi was approached by the captain himself. 

“I’m giving you a warning, Levi.” 

Levi raised his brows in incredulence. “Really now. About what?”

Irwin’s eyes fanned across the horizon and his strong eyebrows furrowed in more than mild distaste. “The weather is changing, quickly. Can’t you see?” His large, calloused hands gestured to the sky where only a few thin clouds dotted the clear azure. As far as Levi was concerned, today was a near-perfect sailing day.

“No, I don’t see shit,” he spat. “And if a storm was approaching in the next couple days, Hange would have seen it coming from the crow’s nest. Has Hange said anything?”

Irwin was quiet, his face becoming the stoic visage that all except Levi had assumed was his natural form; no one except he was allowed to see the cracks of emotion that slipped through. “No,” he replied. “I suppose it’s more of a feeling I’ve got than anything.” 

Levi nodded, the lack of snark a clear sign of support for his old friend. “Then we’ve got nothing to worry about. But,” he added in a slightly softer voice, “if you want some reassurance I can speak to Hange about your concerns.” 

The captain allowed himself to crack a smile. “That’s alright, Levi. I’ll talk to Hange myself; it’s about time I get some climbing in.” He looked towards the crow’s nest which stood many, many, many,  _ many _ feet above them and could just barely spot Hange and their spyglass with his naked eye. He cringed and grinned sheepishly. “Maybe I’ll just meet them halfway.” 

Levi rolled his eyes but smirked; sometimes Captain Irwin seemed as light as he had been in their early days of pirating and pillaging. It was around the time that the old captain died and he rose to take his place that the man began to show the weight of the responsibility on his face. Now, the two of them were more mature, more somber, and ever since Erin joined the crew, more cautious. 

Irwin clapped Levi on the shoulder a little too hard and chuckled. Levi shrugged him off. “Fucking go already, I’ve got the crew here,” and they parted ways, Levi not at all jealous of the climb Irwin had ahead of him. 


	4. The End of the World As They Know It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit gets real, shit gets wet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that Eren comes up in the _next_ chapter, not this one. So here, have a double upload.

“Where the hell is the captain?” questioned a crewmate over his rather sad meal of salty beans and what was either a biscuit or a rock.

“Or Hange for that matter,” another quipped. Murmurs spread as the crew ate in confusion.

Levi was picking at what he was now  _ certain _ was literally a rock when someone whistled for his attention. “Yo, second mate!” 

_ The fucking disrespect… _ Levi was internally fuming but slowly turned his gaze to the offender. “ _ What _ ,” he hissed. 

Everyone within a ten foot radius physically shrank back and Levi thought he saw one man whisper a prayer under his breath. It was a safe response, to be fair. The whistler bit his tongue and all confidence evaporated, replaced by fumbling attempts to save his skin.

“Sir,” the man started.

“Good start, Oluo,” replied Levi, venom dripping off each word. 

“W-we’re just wonderin’ if you…” the man seemingly started to sweat. “Y-you know where the captain is...uh, sir.”

Levi looked bored again and poked his beans. “He’s probably with Hange, they were going to discuss the weather today.”

“...Oh,” Oluo and his companions didn’t know whether to relax or keep their fight-or-flight instincts up around Levi. Levi made it pretty clear though. 

“Exactly, there’s nothing to worry about except the  _ goddamn futile state of respect on this fucking ship, apparently _ .” Levi’s voice was low and mechanical, and if he wasn’t already enraged, he’d probably pat himself on the back for not throwing the son-of-a-bitch overboard.

He stood up, and although he was a head shorter than the tallest crew members, his presence was amplified by the dark aura that surrounded him. In fact, the moment he stood it was as if the deck of the berth itself warped under his fury and a few men lurched. “Now if you’ll excuse me, gentleman,” and he almost spat out the word. “I will go and serve Erin her dinner since apparently Captain Irwin will be dining in the nest tonight.”

Levi left the crew hanging and left to retrieve Erin’s meal from the bilge. Irwin normally brought in a plate of fruit and biscuits for his darling princess, but Levi figured the man was caught up in what he called ‘Hange business’, a term that could apply to anything from being forced into a two hour long conversation about spyglasses to literally being left hanging in the crow’s nest. Considering that Irwin hadn’t climbed the ropes very recently, there were actually decent odds he had been caught in the latter. 

Grabbing a small bag of navel oranges and the least rock-like biscuits he could find, Levi made his way towards the captain’s quarters where  _ hopefully _ he’d get to actually meet the girl that, in all honesty, he had been seeking an excuse to meet with anyway. If Irwin wasn’t here, it was up to the second mate to perform captainly duties, after all. 

The ship was lurching unnaturally and he had only gotten in a single knock on the captain’s door when a flustered Hange came flying down from the deck, landing ineloquently and likely sustaining some bruises. Lifting a single elegant eyebrow, he asked a silent question. 

“Levi Levi Levi,” they started. “I mean, um, Sir Second Mate Levi!” 

“Spit it out, Hange.” The hand not carrying the plate of food rested dramatically on his hip. 

“Levi, it’s bad. You have to look!” When Levi’s brow only raised higher, they clarified, “Look at the sky, the fucking sky! Get on deck!” 

Levi sighed and maintained the exasperated look on his face, but something was nagging at him. Hange normally was just as emotional when they had a rare bird or some shit to show him, but he recalled Irwin’s look of concern earlier and caved in. “Okay, Hange. Just a sec.” He knocked a few more times at the captain’s door and called, “Erin, dinner time. Irwin’s not here so just take the plate.” Again the deck swerved and swayed under his feet and he was growing impatient as well as just a tad bit worried. He pounded at the door for good measure then left the platter on the floor. A few moments later, it was sucked inside the other side of the door.  _ Whatever works, princess, _ he scoffed then turned his attention to Hange who looked like they either had to shit really bad or was awaiting the end of the world.

Clinging to the wooden walls for support, Levi followed Hange from the berth to the main deck and had to raise his arm to defend from a stray whip of sea spray that greeted him on the deck. He wiped away the algae and salt from his eyes, and when he was able to focus on his surroundings his jaw dropped and sickly chartreuse clouds reflected in his eyes. A blast of wind came out of nowhere, seemingly attempting to rip their limbs from their sockets, and nearly toppled the pair, causing Hange to grab onto Levi for support. He would normally chide them for such behavior but as he tasted acid in the sea spray and smelled sulfur in the air, all emotion drained out of him and was replaced by a singular awareness:  _ absolute panic _ . 

Frozen to the spot, Levi’s blood ran cold when his eyes took in the sight of Captain Irwin being plucked from the crow’s nest by a forty-meter wave and disappearing below the angry flood, as if being swallowed by some great being. 

It appeared that indeed, the end of the world was upon them. 


	5. Man vs. Wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I discover there are only so many different words for "water" and "wind". And Levi and Hange get a helping hand.

Time seemed to stop until Hange yanked his arm in the direction of the berth and screamed, “It’s coming!” Levi looked up to see a monstrous wave composed of jagged foam and black water heading straight for them as though it were a knife precisely aimed at its target. He snapped out of it and allowed himself to fall alongside Hange underneath the deck, quickly scrambling to seal the hatch entrance to the berth. Just as the crest of the wave, barbed like the teeth of a shark, was almost upon them, a third pair of hands joined their efforts and thrust the hatch door shut with a creak and a snap. 

Nearly heaving from the exertion and still swaying from the violent rocking of the ship, Levi barely had time to thank the helper before the waves above started battering and clobbering the door to the berth like a boxer in the tenth round. The sea’s waves were so...human, and its attacks were horrifyingly precise, and almost immediately salty water started gushing with a force through the crevices in the hatch. 

“Shit!” a new voice cursed; it belonged to a pair of clenched fists and brilliant emerald eyes. Levi and Hange stopped in their tracks, momentarily forgetting the peril, to observe their helper: a slender-waisted, tan-skinned, bodice-wearing boy no more than eighteen years old. A white, tight-fitting corset with golden accents hugged his chest while the navy, woolen coat he wore over it seemed to dwarf him in size. Breezy breeches seemed to be hastily put on with only a maroon ribbon to hold them in place on the boy’s lithe frame. More importantly, however, was that the boy wore a deep scowl and appeared to harbor a fire behind his forest-green eyes. 

He turned to Levi and Hange and the pair were not prepared for this new crewmate to start barking orders. “We have to go!” he shouted. “We need all hands on oars!” 

Levi stared, his body and mind in shock.  _ Where did this kid come from? What the fuck is happening? _ “Who are—”

“Shut it,” the boy growled, an animalistic focus overtaking his form. “Every man needs to start rowing like his life depends on it, and one of you—” he stabbed a finger at each of them accusingly, “—will get me to the helm so we can attempt to steer this floating graveyard. Got it?” 

The duo nodded warily and Levi elbowed Hange in the ribs, hard. “Go collect the men, do what the kid says. Sails alone won’t be enough to save ourselves.” His voice sounded distant and foreign to him but Hange took it in stride and sprinted to the deeper parts of the berth, leaving Levi and this stranger to brave the torrent outside on the deck. 

The boy turns on his heel to exit the relative safety of the berth when Levi catches him by the wrist. “Wait,” he says breathlessly. “Who are you?”

The boy’s fierce glare was temporarily replaced by confusion. He lifted a brow, questioning, “You seriously don’t know?” Levi was only silent, deaf to the howls of the wind and the spray of the gushing sea as it banged down on the hatch. The boy shook his head in disappointment and curly replied, “I’m Eren Jaeger.” He pressed his palms up to the hatch and took a breath, preparing to enter what just may be actual Hell. He looked to Levi with resolute ferocity in his eyes. “You’re Levi, and you need to help me  _ right fucking now _ .”

With that, Levi jumped to action, his usual stoicism returning like a stone wall ready to weather anything. He nodded and pressed his palms and shoulder to the hatch, preparing to lift.

He almost faltered when Eren shot him a disarming, mischievous grin. “Well then, Levi. Let’s try not to die today.”


End file.
